Car-coupling



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.v

W. MGOONWAY. UAR COUPLING.

No. 446,602. v Patented Feb. 17,1891.

WIITNESSES:

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet W.M0GONWAY.

OAR COUPLING.

No. 446,602. Patented Feb. 17, 1891.

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35 hie abbo'au 776 19W it W tlwrrnn Stamps Parent FFlGh.

WILLIAM MCCONlVAY, OF PlT'lSlElURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,602, dated February17, 1891.

Application filed October 23, 1890. Serial No. 369,121. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM MCCONWAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania,have invented or discovered certain new and usefulImprovements in Car-Couplers, of which improvements the following. is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of car-couplers inwhich the head of the coupler carries a pivoted hook formed with twobranches, one of which engages or hooks with a similar branch on thecoupling of the next car when coupled and the other of which is movedback into a recess formed in the interior of the head and locked inposition by a locking device which holds the hook in the coupledposition. The part of the hook with which the locking device e11- gagesis called the lever-arm or tail-piece and the object of my invention isto provide means for automatically locking the said lever-arm ortail-piece in the coupled position.

To this end my improvement consists of a locking-pin which isautomatically movable into and out of thelocking position, and which issimple in construction, not liable to get out of repair, and not liableto become jammed or bent.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my improvement, Figure 1is a vertical section of a car-coupler with my improved locking device,and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same, both of these figuresshowin g the hook and lockin g device in the coupled or locked position.Figs. 3 and 4. are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, but showing a modi-.fieation of the locking device. Fig. 5 shows the locking device ofFigs; 3 and a detached. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the modificationshown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 with the parts in the unlocked position. Fig.7 is a horizontal section of the construction shown inFig. 0 with theparts in the unlocked position.

The coupling-head l and hook 2 are of the usual or any well-knownconstruction. The hook 2 is pivoted to the head by means of apin 5 andan arm 4, called the leverarm or tailpiece, which, when the hook is inthe coupled position, is swung back into the interior of thecoupler-head and locked there by the locking-pin 6 for the purpose ofholding the hook in the coupled position.

The locking pin or bar 6 is arranged to movein a vertical slot 7, formedin the coupler, and has pivoted to it the end of one or more links 9,the other end or ends of which are pivoted within the slot in rear ofthe pin to a part 10, which may be formed integral with thecoupler-head, as shown in Figs. 1. and 2, or may be a separate piecesecured in place, as shown in Figs. 3, 4., 5, 0,. and 7.

The part 10, to which the links are pivoted at the back of the slot,forms a shoulder 15, against which the rear side of the pin strikes whenmoved upward and backward. The object of this shoulder is to prevent thepivot on the locking-pin from getting vertically over the fixed pivot atthe lower end of the link or passing beyond the vertical and beingcaught there in such a manner as to prevent the pin from being moveddownward by gravity.

\Vhen the pin is in the locking position, (shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,)it rests with its front edge againstthe forward side of the slot, and isheld there by the inclined links, which are of such a length relativelyto the length of the slot and the thickness of the locking-pin that theyare always in an inclined position, the slot not being large enough topermit them to swing down to or below the horizontal position.

As shown in the drawings, the pin 6 may be provided with a shoulder 17to rest on the upper side of the slot; but this may be dispensed with,as the connection of the pin with the links, as shown, will ser e tohold it in position.

It will be seen in my improvement that as the links have a rotary motionabout their pivot-pins 12 they give to the pin in moving IOO preventsthe necessity of closely fitting the pin to the slot and permits it tobe moved with little friction.

The pin 0 may be made somewhat longerthan the vertical depth of the slot7, so that when it is in the locked position its end projects below thecoupler-head, and when in the unlocked position its end is just flushwith the bottom of the coupler-head. The back of the lockingpin may behollowed out, as shown, to receive the ends of the links, or the linksmay be connected outside of the pin on its back face.

In order that the lever-arm or tail a may act properly in moving thelocking-pin when being swung into the coupled position, it is formedwith a curved or cam-like surface on its end, and the locking-pin isalso formed on its front edge in such a manner that the contact of thelever-arn1 or tail with it tends to push it backward, the links 9 at thesame time lifting it into a position from which it is returned bygravity after the end of the lever-arm or tail has passed it. Thisreturn movement of the pin locks the lever-arm in the coupled position.

In order to unlock the lever-arm, the pin (5 is lifted by the links 13,either by hand or by means of uncoupling mechanism connected to the link13.

My improvement is simple in construction, both in regard to thelocking-pin and its connected parts and in the formation of the slot inwhich those parts are fitted. This slot 7, it will be seen, is a simplevertical slot through the coupler-head, with parallel vertical sides andwithout shoulders or offsets of any kind which would cause it to bedifficult to make or to fit. The pin 6 is as simple in construction asthe slot, and is formed with vertical parallel sides, which have nobearing against the slot except at the two ends, where it rests when atthe two limits of its movement, except in so far as it is loosely guidedby the parallel sides of the slot in moving from one position to theother. here are no inclined surfaces or edges against which it must ruband on which it must ride in changing its position, the path of itsmot-ion being determined entirely by its connection with the links 9,which move with comparatively little friction and permit it to drop intothe locking position with little more resistance than it would haveindropping freelythrough space.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. The combination, in a car-coupler, ofa swinging hook and a vertical locking-bar which is pivotally connectedto the couplerhead so as to be capable of vertical and backward motion,while retaining its vertical position in its unlocking movement,substantially. as set forth.

2. The combination, in a car-coupler, of a coupling-hook and alocking-pin pivotally connected to a fixed portion of the coupler andadapted by its con nection with the coupler to be moved in a verticalplane backward and upward from the locking position and automaticallyreturned to the locking position by gravity when released, said pinbeing always in a vertical position, substantially as set forth.

The combination, in a car-coupler, of a coupling-hook and a locking-pinwhich is connected to the couplerby means of one or more links in such amanner that any backward motion of the locking-pin from looking positionproducesa corresponding upward motion, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, in a car-coupler, of a coupling-hook, a lockingpinfor holding the counlinghook in the coupled position, andlinksconnectingthelocking-pin tothecouplerhead in such a manner that thelocking-pin is constrained to move in a vertical plane, substantially asset forth.

5. The combination, in a car-coupler, of a pivoted coupling-hook, alocking-pin for looking thecoupling-hook in the coupled position, and alink-connection between the lockingpin and the coupler-head by which thelocking-pin is constrained to move in a vertical plane and to retain atall times a vertical position, substantially as set forth.

(3. The combination, in a car-coupler, of a coupling-hook, a locking-pinfor engaging with a part of thehook to lock it in the coupled position,and a link-connection. between the locking-pin and the coupler-head,adapted to guide the locking-pin and so arranged that when thelocking-pin has been moved from the locking position and released it isalways in a position to be returned to the locking position by gravity,substantially as set forth.

'7. The combination, in a car-coupler, of a pivoted coupling-hook, alocking-pin with straight vertical sides, and a vertical slot in whichthe pin is swung by a link-connection which connects itto thecoupler-head, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM MOCONWAY.

\Vitnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLcoTT, R. II. WHITTLESEY.

IIO

